Power tilt for outboard motors

ABSTRACT

A GENERALLY U-SHAPED FRAME FOR UPRIGHT SECUREMENT BETWEEN THE UPRIGHT SHAFT HOUSING OF AN OUTBOARD MOTOR AND THE MOTOR-MOUNTING CLAMP BRACKET FROM WHICH THE OUTBOARD MOTOR IS SUPPORTED FOR OSCILLATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL TRANSVERSE AXIS. THE FREE ENDS OF THE LEGS OF THE FRAME ARE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED FROM THE CLAMP BRACKET FOR OSCILLATION RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT THE AFOREMENTIONED AXIS AND THE BIGHT PORTION OF THE FRAME PASSES IN FRONT OF A LOWER PORTION OF THE SHAFT HOUSING WHILE A MOTOR ASSEMBLY PROVIDED TO SELECTIVELY CAUSE THE FRAME, AND THUS THE OUTBOARD MOTRO, TO BE PIVOTED RELATIVE TO THE CLAMP BRACKET.

United States Patent Cass Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant Examiner-Carl A. Rutledge Attorneys-Clarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacobson ABSTRACT: A generally U-shaped frame for upright securement between the upright shaft housing of an outboard motor and the motor-mounting clamp bracket from which the outboard motor is supported for oscillation about a horizontal transverse axis. The free ends of the legs of the frame are pivotally supported from the clamp bracket for oscillation relative thereto about the aforementioned axis and the bight portion of the frame passes in front of a lower portion of the shaft housing while a motor assembly provided to selectively cause the frame, and thus the outboard motor, to be pivoted relative to the clamp bracket.

POWER T lL T FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS The power tilt mechanism of the instant invention .is designed primarily for use in conjunction with outboard motors. However, the power tilt mechanism may also be utilized in conjunction with the outdrive assembly of an inboard/outboard drive.

While most high-powered inboard/outboard drive assemblies are provided with power tilt mechanisms, some inboard/outboard drive assemblies are not provided with such power tilt mechanism and substantially all outboard motors are devoid of such power tilt mechanisms.

Most pleasure boats provided with outboard motors or inboard/outboard drive assemblies are not cruised for long periods of time in deep waters. To the contrary, these types of pleasure craft are quite often beached and danger exists if a boat provided with an inboard/outboard drive assembly or an outboard motor is headed into a beach or possibly very shallow adjacent waters without the outboard drive component thereof being at least partially raised.

If an inboard/outboard drive assembly is not provided with a power tilt, the operator, or another person on board the boat, must manually raise the outdrive assembly as the boat approaches shallow water. If course, this is substantially always the case with an outboard motor inasmuch as substantially all outboard motors are devoid of power tilt mechanisms. While tiltinganoutboard motor of modest power is not too difficult, larger outboard motors are sometimes difficult to tilt, and substantially impossible for the average person to tilt if in forward gear, even at idling speed. Further, outdrive assemblies of inboard/outboard drive assemblies are positioned appreciably below the upper marginal edge portion of the transom of an associated boat and are therefore difficult to manually tilt. Further, if the operator of a boat happens to be alone in the boat it is very difficult for him to guide the boat to specific beach area if he has to leave the controls of the boat in order to tilt the outdrive assembly or the outboard motor of the boat.

Accordingly, the main object of this invention is to provide a power tilt mechanism which may be readily adapted for use in conjunction with substantially all types of outdrive assemblies and which may be operated from a remote location, such as the helm seat of an associated boat, to tilt the outdrive assembly of the boat as it approaches a shoal area or a beach.

Another object of this invention is to provide a power tilt mechanism which will not interfere with normal steering of the associated outdrive unit or tilting of the associated outdrive unit upon its striking a submerged object.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a power tilt mechanism in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of the rear end portion of a boat hull having a conventional form of outboard motor mounted thereon and with the power tilt mechanism of the instant invention operatively associated with the transom of the boat and the outboard motor;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the assemblage illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the outboard motor at an elevation spaced slightly above the power tilt mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through one of the pivot connections of one of the hydraulic cylinders of the power tilt mechanism by which the hydraulic cylinder is supported from its mounting bracket;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIG. I but illustrating the power tilt mechanism in position maintaining the associated outboard motor in a tilted position; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective yiew of the power tilt mechanism minus the actuating hydraulic pump therefor.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a boat hull including opposite side walls 12, a bottom 14 and a transom l6 interconnecting the rear ends of the opposite side walls and the rear end' of the bottom wall 14.

An outboard motor of conventional design is generally designated by the reference numeral 18 and includes a power head portion 20 and a depending shaft housing portion'22. The power head and shaft housing portions 22 are oscillatably supported from a mounting bracket 24, see FIG. 5, and the mounting bracket 24 is oscillatably supported'from a clamp bracket 26 secured to the transom 16 by means of clamp screws 28 provided with pivoted handles 30.

The mounting bracket 24 is oscillatably supported from the clamp bracket 26 by means of a hollow pivot sleeve 32, see FIG. 3, and the sleeve 32 has an elongated control rod 34 reciprocally mounted therein. One end of the control rod has the sleeve end of a control cable 36 operatively connected thereto and the other end of the control rod 34 has one end of a connecting rod 38 oscillatably secured thereto. The end of the connecting rod 38 remote from the control rod 34 is oscillatably connected to a forwardly projecting steering arm 40 of the outboard motor 18 and the end of the control cable 36 remote from the sleeve 32 may be actuated by any suitable remotely located steering control (not shown). I g

It is to be understood that the preceding comprises conventional structure such as that utilized by at least one of the more popular outboard motor manufacturers and that the power tilt mechanism of the instant invention is described hereinafter.

The power tilt mechanism is referred to in general by the reference numeral 42 and includes a pair of identical mounting brackets referred to in general by the reference numerals 44 and which include lower portions which are generally channel-shaped in conf guration and upper slotted end portions 48. The mounting brackets 44 are secure to the rear surface of he transom 16 by means of fasteners 50 passed through the bight portions 52 of the mounting brackets 44, see FIG. 4 and the upper slotted end portions 48 of the mounting brackets 44 include tongue portions 52 which overlie the upper marginal edge portion of the transom 16.

The power tilt mechanism 42 also includes a U-shaped frame referred to in general by the reference numeral 54, see FIG. 2, and which includes a pair of generally parallel inverted L-shaped arms 56. The arms or legs 56 are apertured as at 58 and are oscillatably supported from the opposite end portions of the sleeve 32 by means of shouldered and externally threaded pivot sleeves 60 threadedly engaged in the opposite ends of the sleeve 32. The arms 56 are oscillatably supported from the end portions of the sleeves 60 adjacent their shoulders 62 and the corresponding ends of the control cable 36 and control rod 34 are slidingly received through the sleeves 60.

The free ends of piston rod portions 64 are pivotally secured to the arms or legs 56 by means of pivot pins 66 and the remote ends of the piston rod portions are captively received in cylinder portions 68 of fluid motors referred to in general by the reference numerals 70.

From FIGS. 4 and 6 of the drawings, it may be seen that the lower ends of the cylinder portions 68 are provided with aligned radial bores 72 opening into the central bores 74 formed in the cylinder portions 68. A pivot pin 76 is passed through each pair of radial bores 72 and includes circumferentially extending axially spaced grooves 78 in which 0- ring 80 are disposed for forming a fluidtight seal between the pivot pins 76 and the walls of the radial bores 72. The opposite end portions of each pivot pin 76 is received through openings 82 provided therefor in the legs 84 of the channel-shaped lower portions 46 of the mounting brackets 44 and the adjacent end portions of the pivot pins 76 are secured through the corresponding bores 82 by means of snap rings 86 seated in circumferential grooves 88 formed in the pivot pins 76.

The remote end portions of the pivot pins 76 are provided with longitudinal bores 90 and the adjacent ends of the bores 90 open into the inner ends of a pair of radial bores 92 formed in the pivot pins 76 whose outer ends open into the central bores 74 of the cylinder portions 68. The remote ends of the longitudinal bores 90 include threaded counterbores 94 opening endwise outwardly of the remote ends of the pivot pins 76 and the remote end portions of the pins 76 are provided with radial bores 96 whose inner ends open into the remote ends of the longitudinal bores 90 and whose outer ends open radially outwardly of the pins 76 and are registered with the inner ends of a pair of radial bores 98 formed in collars 100 secured over the remote ends of the pins 76 by means of fasteners 102 threadedly engaged in the threaded counterbores 94.

The discharge ends of a pair of hydraulic lines 104, see FIG.

3, are secured in the outer ends of the radial bores 98 and the ends of the fluid lines 104 remote from the collars 100 are communicated with one end of a fluid line 106 by means of a T-fitting 108, the end of the fluid line 106 remote remote from the T-fitting 108 being operatively communicated with a hand actuated hydraulic pump 110 supported within the boat or hull 10 adjacent the helmsmans position therein.

A pair of slide members 112 are slidingly disposed on the lower ends of the legs or arms 56 and are retained in adjusted position therealong by means of setscrews 114. Further, an axle shaft 116 has its opposite ends secured in corresponding bores 118 formed through the slides or slide members 112 by means of setscrews 120 and a roller 122 is joumaled on the shaft 116 between the slides or slide members 112.

In operation, the steering and normal tilting of the outboard motor is not in any way altered by the operative association of the power tilt mechanism 42 with the outboard motor 18. The motor 18 may be readily steered (oscillated about a vertical axis) and tilted about a horizontal transverse axis inasmuch as the roller 122 has only a one-way connection with the shaft housing 22. Thus,-normal steering operations of the boat 10 may be performed and the outboard motor 18 may tilt to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. of the drawings should it strike an underwater object while the boat is moving forwardly. However, when it is desired to cause the outboard motor 18 to be tilted from the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the manually actuated pump 110 is actuated to cause hydraulic fluid to be forced into the lower ends of the fluid motors 70 whereupon the piston rod portions 64 will be extended so as to pivot the arms 56 to the positions thereof illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings thereby also tilting the outboard motor 18. Of course, it is to be noted that the outboard motor 18 may be operated, at full power, when the power tilt mechanism is supporting the outboard motor 18 in a tilted position thereby enabling the power tilt mechanism to trim the boat as desired.

When it is desired to allow the outboard motor 18 to return to its normal upright position such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the relief valve 126 of the fluid pump 110 may be opened so as to allow the hydraulic fluid within the cylinder portions 68 to pass backward through the lines 104 and 106 and into the hydraulic pump 110. Of course, the outboard motor 18 is balanced so that it will normally pivot by gravity from the tilted position thereof illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings to the upright position thereof illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Therefore, no means is required, other than the tendency of the outboard motor to return to its upright position by gravity, to force the hydraulic fluid within the cylinder portions 68 to return to the fluid pump 110.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. In combination, a boat having an outdrive mounting portion, an upstanding outdrive housing, a mounting assembly supported from said mounting portion and from which an upper portion of said housing is supported for oscillation about a horizontal transverse axis between a first upright position disposed along one side of said mounting portion and a second inclined position with the lower end of said housing swung away from said one side and upwardly relative to said mounting portion, and means operatively connected to said mounting portion and having a one-way connection with said housing for oscillating the latter from said first position to said second position, said means connected to said mounting portion comprising a generally U-shpaed frame including free leg end portions supported from said mounting assembly for oscillation relative to the latter about said axis and a bight portion extending between the other end portions of the legs of said frame and disposed between said one side and a lower portion of said housing disposed below said axis, said bight portions, upon outwardly and upward swinging relative to said one side and about said axis, being abuttingly engageable with said housing lower portion for similar outward and upper swinging of said housing lower portion, and said bight portion being supported from the other end portions of said legs of adjustable positioning therealong.

2. In combination, a boat having an outdrive mounting portion, an upstanding outdrive housing disposed outwardly of said mounting portion, a mounting assembly supported from said mounting portion and from which an upper portion of said housing is supported for oscillation about a horizontal transverse axis between a first upright position disposed outwardly of said mounting portion and a second inclined position with the lower end of said housing swung outwardly from and upwardly relative to said mounting portion, a pair of upstanding force arms disposed on opposite sides of said outdrive housing and pivotally supported at their upper ends for oscillation about an axis extending between said upper ends,

the lower ends of said force arms being disposed outwardly of I said mounting portion and interconnected by means of an abutment member supported from and extending between said lower ends between said mounting portion and a lower portion of said housing and mounted on said lower ends for adjustable positioning therealong, and motor means opera tively connected between said mounting portion and said force arms operative to swing said arms from said first position thereof to said second position thereof.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said motor means includes a pair of extendable fluid cylinder assemblies having one pair of ends oscillatably secured to said arms intermediate their upper and lower ends for oscillation about a first pair of aligned axes extending therebetween, a pair of anchor assemblies removably secured to said mounting portion on opposite sides of said mounting assembly, the other pair of ends of said fluid cylinder assemblies being oscillatably secured to said anchor assemblies for oscillation about a second pair of aligned axis extending between said anchor assemblies.

4. In combination, a boat having an outdrive mounting portion, an upstanding outdrive housing disposed outwardly of said mounting portion, a mounting assembly supported from said mounting portion and from which an upper portion of said housing is supported for oscillation about a horizontal transverse axis between a first upright position disposed outwardly of said mounting portion and a second inclined position with the lower end of said housing swung outwardly from and upwardly relative to said mounting portion, a pair of upstanding force arms pivotally supported at their upper ends from said mounting assembly for oscillation about said axis at points spaced longitudinally therealong on opposite sides of an upright plane disposed normal to said axis and passing through the center of said housing, the lower ends of said force arms being disposed outwardly of said mounting portion and interconnected by means of an abutment member, extending therebetween between said mounting portion and a lower portion of said housing, and motor means operatively connected between said mounting portion and said force arms operative to swing said arms from said first position thereof to said second position thereof, said abutment member including adjustment means on its opposite ends slidably engaged with the lower end portions of said force arms for adjustable positioning therealong and means operative to releasably retain said adjustment means in selected adjusted positions.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said abutment member includes a body of resilient material for abutting engagement with the opposing portions of said housing.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said body of resilient material includes a roller journaled for rotation about a horizontal axis generally paralleling the first-mentioned axis.

7. ln combination, a boat having an outdrive mounting portion, an upstanding outdrive housing disposed outwardly of said mounting portion, a mounting assembly supported from said mounting portion and from which an upper portion of said housing is supported for oscillation about a horizontal transverse axis between a first upright position disposed outwardly of said mounting portion and a second inclined position with the lower end of said housing swung'outwardly from and upwardly relative to said mounting portion, a pair of upstanding force arms pivotally supported at their upper ends from said mounting assembly for oscillation about said axis at points spaced longitudinally therealong on opposite sides of an upright plane disposed normal to said axis and passing through the center of said housing, the lower ends of said force arms being disposed outwardly of said mounting portion and interconnected by means of an abutment member, extending therebetween between said mounting portion and a lower portion of said housing, and motor means operatively connected between said mounting portion and said force arms operative to swing said arms from said first position thereof to said second position thereof, said motor means including a pair of extendable fluid cylinder assemblies having one pair of ends oscillatably secured to said arms intermediate their upper and lower ends for oscillation about a first pair of aligned axes extending therebetween, a pair of anchor assemblies removably secured to said mounting portion on opposite sides of said mounting assembly, the other pair of ends of said fluid cylinder assemblies being oscillatably secured to said anchor assemblies for oscillation about a second pair of aligned axis extending between said anchor assemblies, said abutment member including adjustment means on its opposite ends slidably engaged with the lower end portions of said force arms for adjustable positioning therealong and means operative to releasably retain said adjustment means in selected adjusted positions.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said abutment member includes a body of resilient material for abutting engagement with the opposing portions of said housing.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said body of resilient material includes a roller journaled for rotation about a horizontal axis generally paralleling the first-mentioned axis. 

